EUROPUR 2024 Conference Held in Istanbul

EUROPUR's 2024 Annual Conference, held in Istanbul this year, provided an important forum for exchange of ideas on the future of Europe's polyurethane industry and sustainable innovation. The conference, which included more than 530 participants, highlighted key market information and technical developments. EUROPUR (European Flexible Polyurethane Foam Block Manufacturers Association) and EURO-MOULDERS (Association of Polyurethane Parts Manufacturers for the Automotive Industry) held their annual conference for 2024 on 12 and 13 June in Istanbul. The event hosted approximately 530 participants, with around 60 joining online. Participants represented more than 160 companies, including more than 60 foam-producing firms from various regional countries, primarily Europe.

Day 1: Opening Remarks, Market Forecasts and Industry Trends

As always, the first day of the conference was devoted to general topics such as market trends and industry trends, discussions on upcoming EU regulations, opening remarks and sponsor presentations. Following EUROPUR's General Assembly, Association President Bart ten Brink addressed participants and opened the conference. In his opening remarks, Bart emphasized the following: "Our continent cannot be merely a continent of innovations transferred on an industrial scale to other regions. We must continue to exist as an industrial production continent, and this requires our political leaders to take this matter to heart. They must create conditions in which our industry can develop and not have to compete on the world stage with one hand tied behind its back." The conference then proceeded with an illuminating opening presentation by Georg Riekeles, Deputy Director of the European Policy Centre, titled "Geopolitics, Competitiveness, Climate Change - Can Europe Handle All of Them?" Through practical examples for the flexible PU foam industry, Georg drew a serious picture of global geopolitics and their consequences on trade, as well as what this situation means for Europe. Georg's conclusions underscored the key message delivered in EUROPUR's President's opening remarks. Following this presentation, an interactive panel was held titled 'European Flexible PU Foam Markets, Upstream & Downstream / Turkey-Focused'. Experts from Chemical Market Analytics (Tobias Spyra), CSIL (Giulia Taveggia) and the Automotive Manufacturers Association (İrem Baçdar) provided information on the main sub-markets in the flexible polyurethane foam sector (upholstered furniture, bedding and automotive), as well as chemical raw materials, with particular focus on Turkey as the host country. The panelists addressed various topics, including notably global trade relations in the EU bedding sector, laying the foundation for the next panel discussion. On automotive matters, another panel was held titled "End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation Draft - What Changes Will Occur in the Automotive Supply Chain?" with delegates from the automotive supply chain sector. In the panel moderated by Michel Baumgartner (EUROPUR/EURO-MOULDERS), panelists addressed the potential impact of the proposed ELV Regulation on polyurethanes and plastics in vehicles. The panel comprised representatives from EURO-MOULDERS (Theodoros Mardas), Adient (Sebastien Gentil), Plastics Europe (John Mortell), Ford Otosan (Ayşemin Top Gül) and EURIC (Alejandro Navazas), the voice of Europe's recycling industries. In the day's second opening speech, Wim Vermeulen, Director of Strategy and Sustainability at Bubka, a Brussels-based advertising agency, delivered a science-based presentation on the importance of authenticity in sustainability marketing. Wim's message was clear: "Your voice [your company's voice] matters only if it is credible." Closing the day, Dr. Claudine Mollenkopf, Head of Evonik's Special Additives Division, delivered a presentation titled 'Evonik Beyond Boundaries: Our Search for Sustainable Innovation for the Polyurethane Industry'.

Day 2: New Solutions and Technical Innovations

On the second day, traditionally devoted to 'technical' topics, a total of 33 presentations were held: 11 on sustainability, 6 on automotive and product management/new raw materials, and 5 on machinery and digitalization as well as health and safety. EUROPUR General Secretary Michel Baumgartner closed the sessions by thanking everyone involved in the organization and announcing that the next Annual Conference will take place on 3-5 June 2025 in Alicante (Spain). Source